1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a method and apparatus for turning and pre-forming gloves that utilizes a combination of spaced turning tubes having resilient floating ends disposed in the turning tubes which cooperate with a packing device for centering and pre-forming the glove by stretching the fingers of the glove around the resilient ends of the turning tubes which further cooperate with a plurality of turning rods which further pre-form and start to turn the fingers of the glove by inserting the turning rods into the floating ends of the turning tube to a predetermined depth which thereafter results in the release of the packing device and the further insertion of the fingers into the turning tubes and the subsequent activation of both the shuck assembly and at least one independently activated turning rod to release pressure on the glove while turning the glove over onto the turning rods and thereafter providing for the subsequent automatic release of the turned glove from the turning rods by a rake-off device. The invention provides a fully automatic device for pre-forming and turning lined and unlined work gloves and leather gloves by employing a packer mechanism for disposition between the fingers of the glove for centering and stretching the fingers of the glove before cooperating with the glove turning rods to further assist in the pre-forming and subsequent turning operation of the glove. The novel configuration and disposition of the packer device, resiliently mounted ends of the turning tubes and at least one individually activated turning rod from the turning rod assembly provides for the rapid turning of gloves of various weights.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art includes a variety of glove turning mechanisms and devices that illustrate a number of mechanical devices for turning gloves. The application and utility of such prior art devices is not only dependent upon the speed which such devices turn gloves but also the quality of the final product. Some of the prior art devices have not had a widespread application in the industry because of the number of defectively turned gloves resulting from the ripping or tearing of the glove in the turning operation, poor quality of turned gloves, the cost of the machinery, the slow speed at which the machinery operates and problems of misalignment or improper operation of the article turning device. In addition, some of the available prior art glove turning devices particularly adapted to heavy gloves in the 32 Oz. weight do not turn the entire glove but instead turn only four of the fingers of the glove at which time the glove is removed from the machine which then requires the operator to place the thumb on one of the turning tubes to turn the thumb of the glove. A review of the prior art devices illustrates the problems encountered in the industry in attempting to provide a fully automatic and a reliable glove turning machine that can rapidly turn the entire glove in one operation and that can accommodate lined and unlined gloves of varying weights or thicknesses.
In Summers U.S. Pat. No. 2,427,933 an article turner is disclosed having four finger turning tubes with resiliently mounted inserts for mating with four turning rods. As can be readily recognized, U.S. Pat. No. 2,427,933 does not turn the entire glove in a single operation but instead turns the four fingers of the glove and thereafter requires the operator to unload the glove and load the unturned thumb in a subsequent thumb turning and manual glove body and cuff turning operation. Similarly, Filko et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,023,720 and 4,036,415 turns and blocks leather gloves in a two step and semi-automatic operation. Prior art such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,427,933; 4,023,720 and 4,036,415 do not turn the entire glove and do not provide a packing device for stretching and pre-forming the fingers of the glove around the turning tube ends nor do these inventions teach or describe the utilization of at least one individually activated turning rod to provide a complete turning of all the fingers of the glove along the body and cuff of the glove.
In Brownstein U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,286,057; 2,286,058 and 2,286,059 a glove turning and pressing machine is disclosed wherein all five fingers of the glove are turned by utilizing five turning tubes and rods that correspond to the five fingers of the glove. These patents utilize a prior art turning tube and turning rod combination that is not comparable to the present invention since this prior art does not utilize resilient ends of the turning tubes in combination with a packer mechanism to perform the pre-forming and turning of lined and heavy gloves such as are accommodated by the present invention.
The utilization of turning devices such as in the aforesaid patents do not provide the advantages of pre-forming of lined gloves and heavy leather gloves in accordance with the present invention since the combination of packer element and resilient ends in the turning tube are not utilized to provide the requisite pressure to force the stitches of the glove to grin in the pre-forming of the glove and prevent the destruction of the glove by the punching of holes in the glove as occurs when leather gloves and gloves of thicker layers are turned. In such machinery, thick gloves can be damaged because of the inability of such machines to relieve pressure in the glove during the time when the body and palm of the glove are turned. The disadvantages of machines such as disclosed in the patents is recognized in Wittler U.S. Pat. No. 3,143,258 in the description of such prior art including Beasley U.S. Pat. No. 2,838,216 which illustrates the problems encountered in turning heavy gloves which require the use of heavy plungers to turn heavy gloves but which plungers result in damage to heavy gloves caused by the punching of holes in the fingers and thumb by the turning rods in the glove turning process. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,143,258 a vacuum mechanism is utilized to assist in the glove turning process.
More recent developments in the prior art as represented by Horton U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,547 provide for the turning of gloves of various thicknesses including leather gloves without damaging the fingers of the glove. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,547 a semi automatic glove turning machine is provided having glove turning tubes with retractable plungers that are utilized to turn the entire glove. This prior art turns the glove in a series of steps that does not utilize a packing device to assist in the stretching and pre-forming operation of the glove. Instead a hacker 60 is employed to center the glove while the thumb of the glove is turned to get "the bulkiness of this portion out of the way" as pressure is placed on the cuff of the glove. The hacker is removed from the fingers and then the glove is subsequently turned in eight series of operational procedures. The present invention in marked contrast provides a single continuous operation for the centering, pre-forming and simultaneous turning of the fingers, thumb and body of the glove by utilizing a packer which cooperates with the turning rods and turning tubes to center and pre-form all the fingers and thumb of the glove in a continuous operation in which the shuck element subsequently cooperates with at least one independently activated turning rod to thereafter relieve pressure and simultaneously turn the body of the glove without damaging the glove.
The novel method and apparatus of the present invention for turning gloves of varying thickness including leather gloves and lined gloves along with the novel elements and cooperation of elements allows gloves of varying thicknesses to be rapidly turned without damage to the glove. The novel cooperation and disposition of the elements of the present invention along with the method of relieving pressure in the glove during the glove turning operation prevents damages to the fingers of the glove and allows the proper pressure to be independently maintained and exerted at various points and at varying times in the glove turning operation. The novel glove turning machine of the present invention furthermore assists in the pre-forming of the gloves by providing not only a centering but also inducing the proper grin on the finger tip threads to assist in subsequent glove forming operation.
The advantages of the present invention over the prior art includes the utilization of a packer element which cooperates with turning tubes having resilient ends in combination with the turning rod to assist in the centering and stretching of the threads to provide a grin in the thread and thereafter removing pressure in the thumb simultaneous with the turning of the body of the glove to prevent damage of a glove as it is being turned. The distinctions between the present method and apparatus and the cooperation of the components in providing the advantages of the present invention will become further apparent upon a comparison of the elements and methods of the prior art in conjunction with the drawings and specification of the present invention.